Malts get in the food mix

DISTILLER Morrison Bowmore is actively exploiting the food matching potential of two of its key malt brands, Auchentoshan and Bowmore.

On Bowmore, brand manager Cara Laing said the key to successful food and whisky matching lies in “ensuring the food enhances and brings out the various different flavours in the spirit”.
“We have discovered that fresh Islay lobster and oysters really bring out the salty citrus notes of Bowmore 12 year old,” she said.
“Meanwhile, a rich dark chocolate torte is incredible when paired with our 15 year old Darkest as it releases and emphasises the chocolate sweetness of the spirit.”
Bowmore is staging ‘an evening on Islay’ at Malmaison in Glasgow later this month (September 22), where it will highlight four different bottlings of the malt and invite guests to enjoy them with a range of tapas-style dishes.
Meanwhile, when it comes to Auchentoshan, Morrison Bowmore reckons the lowland malt’s “characteristic notes of citrus and nuttiness ideally complement a versatile collection of flavours”.
David Cagle, head chef at The Restaurant Bar & Grill in Glasgow’s Princes Square, has created several dishes based on expressions of the malt, including Auchentoshan Three Wood and dill salmon gravalax served with warm bellini, aruga caviar and shallot creme fraiche.
“Salmon gravalax is a very popular dish throughout Scotland,” Cagle said.
“The reason why I selected the Three Wood for this particular dish is because the sublety and unique flavour of the whisky suits the salmon gravalax perfectly.
“The process of marinating the salmon is enriched by the Three Wood and since the gravalax is served cold the elements of the malt come through.”